Is my palate broken?

[TheCigarNut]

Nah - your doing perfect! I have been smoking for about 7 to 8 years and I think I have just recently gotten to the point where I can start to 'pick out flavors' so to speak. I know it sounds stupid, but I started doing my own type of taste tests and comparisons to try to shock my tastebuds into recognizing different aspects.

Try to smoke 2 cigars in one day, start with a mild or medium body and then later have a medium to full and see if you can tell the difference in body and the flavors produced ( bad example but lets say hay/grass/sweet/etc for the mild and cedar/leather/earth/etc on the medium/full ). Another thing to try might be to smoke 'similar' cigars IE both Conn. Broadleaf Maduro wrappers or both Dominican filler and see if you can locate the similarities and differences with each. Hoenstly though, best piece of advice - as others have said - just keep with it - some pick it up quickly while others become better over time.

Also as others have said, try to expand your palate - I agree with you on things like the leather quality and yes, I have actually taken a piece of leather ( the dangling part on some leather jackets ) and chewed on it ( tastes like it smells kinda ) and can remember as a kid my older cousin putting mud in my mouth and I relate that to the 'earth' flavor some places describe. Now granted, those are bad examples but as all things with cigars, it is subjective to you.